When the deal is too good to be true: The pain of boda boda operators at the hands of creditors

The boda boda is one of the most reliable means of transport in Nakuru. From making deliveries, to navigating traffic, to simply being fast and efficient, the business has gained popularity among young men and women trying to make ends meet.

But underneath the bustling business are struggling riders who, despite working hard to own the motorbikes they use to make a living, are being cheated day and night by notorious creditors.

As several of them have set up shop across the country, luring customers with their competitive interest rates, many boda boda operators have fallen into debt traps, losing their hard-earned money, not to mention having their motorcycles repossessed for non-payment.

Benjamin Waswa was initially hired as a boda boda driver. But after a while he decided it was time to get his own. After asking around about where he could get a loan, he decided to go to MOGO - a car and boda boda financing company. 

On arrival, he was told that the cash payment for the bike would be 150,000, which he could not afford at the time, so he opted for the loan option, where he would end up paying around 240,000 after two years to fully own his bike.

"I was taken through different types of finance models as I was unable to pay cash up front. We then agreed that the best payment plan for me would be to pay Sh415 per day for a period of two years after an initial deposit of Sh20,000," said Mr Waswa.

"There were times when business was good. At other times, I worked hard, taking on extra menial jobs to ensure that I could make daily payments, sometimes more than the initial agreed amount," he added.

A year and two months later, having paid Sh145,000 when business was fairly slow, he missed a month's payment and asked for an extension. To his shock, they asked him to sell something from his house and he told them, ironically, that he'd end up selling his children if he had to.

In an effort to raise the money he owed Mogo for the one month he was unable to pay, he sent Sh2,000 of the Sh9,000 he owed. 

However, his efforts were in vain as MOGO sent their agents to take the bike back. He was told to pay half of the debt within three weeks. But when he went to their offices on the second week, he was told that the bike had been sold.

"I struggled to find the money and I was hurt when they took the bike with so little regard for my circumstances. I lost Sh165,000 in payments made. I have given up hope of pursuing it. I regret doing business with MOGO," he said.

In Nakuru West, the chairman of the Boda Boda operators, David Mong'are, says he is currently handling about 30 cases with the same creditor, of which he has referred 10 to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

For example, a boda boda operator in his area fell ill and decided to return the motorcycle to MOGO as agreed in order to stop the interest accruing. When he recovered and went back to claim his bike, the lender had sold it.

As an official of the association, he followed up and discovered many other similar cases.

"I am currently dealing with about 30 cases and have referred 10 to the DCI. We then decided to involve our area MP. When we went to MOGO to find out if this was true, we found out that they had closed shop and moved and we don't know where they have gone," said Mr Mong'are.

According to Nakuru West MP Samuel Arama, such lenders usually have a devious way of preying on low-income riders who do not have enough cash to pay for the bikes upfront, thus trapping them in debt. 

He also accused them of colluding with some county officials in the licensing department, noting that the government had lost a lot of money by issuing the wrong licence.

"I call on Kenyans to be vigilant before visiting such creditors and ask the right questions. More so, I call on my constituents, if you have been defrauded in any way, come to my office so that we can deal with it and get your logbooks back," Mr Arama said.